Shattered
by Racholasj
Summary: It's amazing how one moment can re-define your entire existance, shattering everything that you once knew until you are broken into nothingness...meanwhile you're left trying to pick up the jagged pieces with bloody fingers. Ichihime.
1. Chapter 1

Before you guys kill me for the lack of updates on AWAHH and AG, just know both have chapters that I am currently in the middle of! I'm having serious writer's block with AG, but as for AWAHH, I misplaced the chapter! Don't worry, I didn't forget about it. (: Please review and enjoy my newest story, Shattered.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or its characters, I'm just borrowing them from Tite Kubo.

- Karakura High School, End of the school day-

Orihime Inoue came running out of the school, sliding to a stop in search of her nakama. Once she spotted them a few feet to her left, she spun around in what appeared to be slow motion, her hair whipping around her like a red halo. She cast one of her infamous smiles toward her friends. Her grin stretched from ear to ear, making her eyes twinkle. She was absolutely stunning, especially when she was smiling – her radiance seemed to shine in a way that was contagious. You couldn't feel anything but peace when she smiled at you like that. Her friends stopped their conversation at the presence of their beautiful auburn haired friend.

"You guys!" she exclaimed, barely catching her breath. "There's a new bakery opening up next week! It's like three blocks from the one I work at now! It's going to be so great! It's twice the size of the old bakery, and it has donuts, cakes, cookies, brownies-,"

"Orihime, breathe!" Tatsuki Arisawa commanded, scolding her best friend. "This is just great! Now I'm going to be spending my days off gazing at chocolate chip cookies dipped in red bean paste!" Tatsuki muttered, slapping her head while wincing. Ichigo Kurosaki smirked slightly, trying to hold back a grin, his usual scowl no where to be seen. The image of Tatsuki trying to weasel her way out of eating one of Orihime's…err.. interesting….concoctions was too funny. Ichigo had amusement in his eyes as he looked at his busty redheaded friend, trying not to laugh. She really did appreciate the small things, and Tatsuki's face was more of an amused one than a disgusted one.

"Tatsuki-chan! You haven't even given it a fair try! It's just like wasabi sauce and lemon cake! It's just so delicious! Every time I ask you to try it you get all flustered and mad, like little blue men are taking over your mind… Oh! That's it, isn't it? The little blue men don't want you to have my delicious deserts! They're jealous they can't taste it for themselves…!"

"Orihime, you're getting carried away again." Tatsuki chided, smirking slightly at her best friend's rant. Orihime Inoue was quite the character, often getting swept up in her fantasies of little blue men. Deep down, Tatsuki was starting to wonder if Orihime really did believe there were little alien men controlled everything and were the reasons for events happening. She probably did.

"Why is no one else excited about this? We've only had one bakery and it'll be nice to go and get a donut from somewhere I don't already work! I wonder if they'll have different flavors! Maybe some crazy, new ultra-delicious desert will be there!"

"You really have a sweet tooth, Inoue-san. I'm sure sometime next week we can all take a visit to the bakery, if you really want to go." Uryu Ishida chimed in, smiling at his redheaded friend. Even as serious as Uryu was, he couldn't deny something as simple as a bakery trip to someone who had been nothing but a great friend to him. Orihime was so easy to please that it almost seemed stupid to crush her excitement. His friends nodded in agreement.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air. "This will be awe-oh! Shoot, I've got to go! I'm going to be late getting to _my_ bakery! Bye!"

She ran off, almost stumbling over her own feet as she did, much to her friends' dismay. Ichigo caught her arm before she tumbled completely, and she thanked him bashfully while whipping her head around and running off again, leaving her friends in the dust.

They all had slightly worried looks on their faces. She could be so clumsy.

_Like the time she got hit by the car and it was "no big deal." _Ichigo shook his head. Only Orihime would brush something off like that...

Tatsuki stood there, shaking her head.

"Idiot." She grumbled.

It had begun to pour outside. The rain was beating against the window so quickly that Orihime was certain by the end of the night Karakura would be a lake. She stared out the window, fascinated by the droplets that slid down. She loved the rain. She always had as a little girl, and she did now, though today it meant more to her than in the past.

_I wonder what Kurosaki-kun is doing right now…_ Orihime wondered to herself, a small smile playing on her lips. _He's probably grumpy because there's so much rain outside! I love his little grumpy frowny faces…and I bet his eyebrows are all scrunched up in anger too!_

Orihime let out a small giggle at the thought of her beloved Ichigo's signature scowl. It really was amusing to her. He was such a good person with a good heart that it was rather funny that he hid it behind a scowl. She usually pictured some random animal in the place of his head, which always cracked her up. Her imagination was as active as ever, especially when it came to daydreaming about Ichigo.

"Oh, Ichigo…" She whispered to herself. She wondered if she would ever get the guts to tell him how she really felt.

_I don't want to ruin what we already have by being selfish…but I wonder what he'd say….maybe he already knows? Maybe he'd be so surprised? Maybe he'd tell me he doesn't feel the same way…or maybe he does….it's such a big risk! A big scary risk….one I should just forget about._

Orihime sat there in the bakery, quietly arguing in her head about her current dilemma.

"_Maybe it would be best to forget about it….I could move on…I could wait for him…I could do nothing…but I don't think I could bare telling him the truth…"_

She sighed aloud, tired of mulling it over in her head for the tenth time that night. She went back to watching the drops of water race down the glass window. It really was pouring outside. She could barely make out anything, it all was a blur of colors through the water.

"Inoue-chan," A voice called. She turned, startled to be jolted from her daydreaming.

"Yes, Katsu-san?" She replied, trying to not look guilty for daydreaming on the clock.

"I think you should head home. It's getting pretty nasty outside."

"Oh, are you sure, Katsu-san? We have another hour before close! And there's still some dishes to be done…"

"Yeah, definitely. I think the shop will be fine if we close up an hour early – I'd rather have you home safe. Is there anyone here to pick you up or walk you home?"

"No, Katsu-san. I usually walk here from my apartment, but I'll be just fine to walk home!"

"Absolutely not, Inoue-chan! It's raining like crazy out there! You'll catch a cold. I'll have my son drive you home – that way you won't get sick from the freezing rain."

"Well, if you're sure, Katsu-san…,"

"I am. Get your coat, I'll fetch my son."

Orihime zipped up her coat and slid on her gloves, making sure there was no way the cold air could get in. She flipped her hood up, hoping that the couple seconds she was outside she wouldn't get soaked.

_It really is freezing out there! _She thought, feeling the gust of wind from the open door. The rain wasn't going to let up anytime soon, and a full on storm had begun. Lightening streaked the sky, and the booming thunder rang in Orihime's ears.

"Are you ready to go?" The man asked, looking at her. Orihime nodded, bashful. Katsu-san's son was a bit older than her, in his early twenties, and rough around the edges. He was a mechanic, and had only been in at the bakery to do some errands for his mother. Many people talked and whispered about him in the bakery, and it was said that he was a major jerk and preferred to be alone because no one liked him, but Orihime thought that deep down, he probably had a good heart.

"Yes, sir." She replied, walking in front of him and walking out into the cold night. The rain hit her hard, and she could feel herself shiver beneath her coat.

They walked to his car and Orihime got inside, setting her bag on the floor next to her feet. She had more bread to share with her friends the next day, and she wanted to make sure they got to her house safely.

The ignition turned, and the car flickered to life.

Orihime wrapped her arms around herself in attempt to warm herself from the cold.

"Sorry there's no heat. I'm still fixing 'er up." He muttered, adjusting his review mirror.

"Oh that's ok! It would have been way colder if I had to have walked home anyway." Orihime said to him, smiling. He shrugged, obviously not one for pleasantries and began to pull out of the driveway.

"Um…," Orihime said to herself, not sure how to begin.

"Is there somethin' wrong?" Katsu-kun asked the girl.

"Um, you know you should probably wear your seatbelt! I mean, it's really bad outside and you never know what could happen!"

"Tch. Worry about yourself," was his reply, ignoring her advice. Inoue bit her lip apprehensively.

"How do I get to your place anyway?"

"Oh! Okay, you're just gonna go straight for awhile and then when we pass the grocery store you'll take a left. Then after that there will be a stop sign and you'll take the first right all the way to the end. That's where my apartment building will be!"

"Alright, got it." The man replied quietly, turning his radio on. Rock music came flowing through his speakers at a high volume, hurting Orihime's ears.

"You know, you really should have the radio off when it's so bad out-," Orihime started again, only to be cut off.

"Keep to yourself, alright? I'm doing _you_ a favor, so just leave the driving to me."

"Hai…,"

"I've been driving a long time, ya know. Rain, snow, it doesn't affect me."

Orihime took to staring out the window for the next few minutes. The man next to her began to hum along with the blaring rock music, letting out a few "yeahs" and howls along the way. Orihime saw a stop light approach and felt the car ease to a stop. She thought Katsu-kun was kind of funny with the way he was singing along to the radio. She felt a small smile graze her lips.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing! I…I just thought it was kind of funny how you were singing along…" Orihime said, a blush on her cheeks. She hoped she didn't make him mad.

"Ah… yeah. I'm not much of a singer, but I do love this song." The man said in a friendly voice. Orihime beamed at him.

_He isn't so scary after all…just a little quiet, but that's not a bad thing. The girls in the bakery probably didn't even try talking to him because he looked like he was mean…but so does Kurosaki-kun, and I know that he has the kindest heart there is! I'm glad Katsu-kun gave me a ride today. Maybe we'll be friends!_

They waited a few more minutes for the light to turn green, just listening to the music play. Katsu-kun had finally turned it down a bit so that it wasn't ringing in Orihime's ears anymore.

Finally the light did turn, and the car pulled forward slowly. Katsu-kun looked to be lost in thought for a brief moment, only to be jolted to attention by the sound of a blaring horn the sudden force that hit the car, stopping it in its tracks.

The glass shattered around them, the rock music becoming background noise to the screams of the two passengers. Katsu-kun went flying to his right, knocking Orihime's head against the passenger window.

Then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been another ordinary, rainy day for Ichigo and his family. He had got off work and went home right after, not wanting to disappoint Yuzu. He knew she'd have dinner ready and waiting for him. There hadn't been a hollow in the past few days for him to tend to, and he had a few tests coming up that he needed to study for anyway.

Upon walking in the door, his father had tried to kick him in the face, as usual, and Ichigo dodged it, annoyance evident in his features.

"Old man! When will you grow up?!"

"That is no way to talk to your Daddy! Masaki! Our son has such disrespect for me! Where have I failed?" He screamed, crying to the poster of his wife on the wall. Ichigo rolled his eyes. As much as he loved his mother and missed her, even he thought that poster was awkward.

Ichigo sat down to the dinner Yuzu had prepared, saying hello to his sisters as he did. Yuzu beamed happily, Karin nodded in response.

He had been in the middle of his dinner when he had felt it.

His utensils left his hands, clashing onto the porcelain plate. His eyes looked forward, unseeing.

"_Inoue!"_

A scream pierced his ears, deafening him. He felt a strong spike in reiatsu, and he felt nothing at all. The total absence of it devastated him. Even from his home, he could always feel the presence of his nakama. Orihime's had just vanished as quickly as it had spiked. There were no soft waves of warmth washing over him, it was absolutely gone. He had heard her voice, her scream as though he had been there with her. The spike he had felt had been filled with pain and anguish. He burst from his chair, sprinting out of the door, leaving Yuzu and Karin to stare after him in wonder.

Isshin's face formed into a frown, a knowing look on his face.

.::.

Uryu Ishida had just finished his sewing project for the night. He pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, fatigue stinging his eyes as he squeezed them shut. It had been a long day. His father had been exceptionally annoying throughout the day, constantly nagging him about what college he planned to go to, what his career outlook was going to be, what his future plans were. Uryu did his best not to roll his eyes and shake his head at his father. He knew in his own sick, twisted way his father just cared, but in all honestly, his caring was wearing on Uryu.

He placed the glasses back on his face, ready to call it a night. That's when he felt Inoue Orihime's reiatsu flare up and then vanish into nothingness.

It took him less than a second to realize she was in danger. He burst through the door, in the direction that the flare had come from, hoping he would get there in time for whatever happened.

.::.

Tatsuki just finished practice for the night, and sweat poured off of her. She felt great. The tournament she had coming up was going to be her best one yet. She had been practicing overtime and she felt stronger than ever. She was excited to tell Orihime about her day. She knew her best friend would be so excited for her.

As she left the gym, she frowned, realizing it was pouring out.

"I wonder if Orihime has left work yet. She'll catch a cold if she didn't bring a jacket or umbrella." Tatsuki wondered aloud. She was thinking about heading to the bakery when she felt it.

Her bags dropped from her hands.

.::.

Chad was walking home to his apartment for the evening, his guitar hanging casually from his back. He and his band had been practicing for the evening, and he felt good about all their hard work. He idly wondered if bread would be hanging on his door today, as Inoue usually left him some after she got off of work. He smiled at the thought of his talkative friend. She was so considerate.

The rain pelted Chad and soaked into his clothes. It had been nice when he left for the day, and he hadn't thought to bring a jacket with. He didn't mind either way. The pellets were refreshing and felt good on his hot skin. He looked up at the sky, noticing how dark the sky was tonight. He was about to continue on his way home when he felt Inoue's reiatsu flare out of control and then evaporate into thin air. The slight warmth that Chad always felt was suddenly gone. He gasped in surprised, then ran off to find her.

The moments that passed afterwards were nothing but a chaotic blur.

.::.

The ambulance arrived quickly to the scene, trying to pull out the passengers from the scene of the car wreck.

Almost simultaneously, a crowd had begun to form out in the rain to witness the incident.

Blood was splattered on the pavement, most of it soaked in the long, auburn hair of the girl whose head laid out the window of the passenger door, eyes closed. Thankfully, her seat belt had kept in from ejecting out of the car, and in her seat. Her arms hung limp on the side of the car. If it wouldn't have been for the blood and scratches, it would've looked like she was sleeping on the window's ledge.

The ambulance rushed to pull her out safely, the gasps of the audience filling their ears.

The girls face was covered in blood and bruises. She had definitely received the worst of the accident.

A moment later, a group of teenagers came running down the street, all from different directions, but all seemed to have the same purpose in mind.

"Inoue!" "Orihime!" "Inoue-san!"

The paramedic tried to work quickly on getting her into the ambulance. She looked a mess, and he honestly didn't know how bad her conditions were. He knew her life was in his hands.

"Inoue!"

The police encircled the teenagers, telling them to stay back.

"What happened?"

"We're not staying back, she's our friend!"

"Let us through!"

"We're going with!"

"Orihime!"

They reached the scene with horror on their faces. There lied Orihime, bloody and broken on a passenger side of an old car. Her hair spilled out over her head grazing the pavement. Small pieces of glass stuck out of her in various places, and her blood had began to pool on the pavement. Her facial expression was serene in it's unconscious state, and her body was limp from head to toe.

It was a sight none of them wanted to see ever again.

Something was very wrong with seeing the Princess's blood spill, tainting the ground red. Hair stood up on the back of Ichigo's neck.

_Why did this happen?!_

Ichigo, Tatsuki, Uryu, and Chad shouted at the sight and moved to help their friend, but were held back by police. A few paramedics moved Orihime's side, and began to transfer her body onto a caught.

"You need to stay back from the scene." The Policeman said, holding his hand out. He understood their concern, but they would only get in the way.

Their cries were drowned out as the ambulance door shut closed on them, and the ambulance began to pull away with Orihime inside. The paramedics looked at each other, sadness evident on their faces. This was going to be a tough one.

Back at the scene, a pair of brown orbs reflected pain in their depths, going dark. Tears threatened to spill out of his eyes, before determination flashed and his legs began to run after the ambulance that was carrying someone very dear to him.

It took the others a total of two seconds before they followed, panic on their faces.

"_Inoue__! We're coming."_

_.::._

"She's stable for now. She should wake up soon. There was slight head trauma, but from what we can tell, she'll be okay." The doctor said, a sad expression on his face. He hated delivering any sort of bad news. The young girl in the other room had been a bloody mess when she had arrived and his team had worked diligently to save her. He hoped it would be enough, but in the meantime they had to wait, which would be the worst part for all.

Waiting to see if her life was over, or if she would pull through for another day was never an easy task.

"Can we see her?" The orange haired boy asked, his voice cracking. The doctor didn't know who these teenagers were to this girl in the hospital bed, but he wondered why her parents or family members weren't there.

"Are you related?"

"We don't need to be, we're her family. Please, can we see her?" The orange haired teen asked again, his features pained. The doctor nodded. Who was he to tell this man in front of him he couldn't see that girl lying so lifelessly on her cot? If no one else was coming to see her, then her friends would need to be there by her side when she woke up.

"Sure. It'll be just a few minutes."

"Thank you."

The doctor turned to leave, and Ichigo returned to his spot against the wall.

"Did you…did you see the car?" Tatsuki asked, her voice barely audible. Ichigo's clenched, his jaw tightening at the thought.

"It was smashed in on the driver's side so bad. I overheard the doctors talking. I guess the driver hit Orihime full force and knocked her halfway….halfway out of the car." Tatsuki whispered, her face stinging with tears.

"She'll be okay, Arisawa." Uryu said, trying to offer his friend comfort. She hiccuped as the tears poured of from her.

"She has to be okay. I…I couldn't face the day if she wasn't in it…oh, Kami!" Tatsuki sobbed, her hands covering her face. Her shoulders shook with the impending tragedy that awaited in the other room. So many years of protecting her, all for nothing…

"Don't think like that, Tatsuki. She'll be okay," Ichigo said confidently, but the look on his face wasn't as brown eyes were filled with pain…and fear – something that Ichigo rarely felt or showed, at least.

He seriously hoped he was right. He was rarely right about anything, but if this could be it, that's all he'd ever ask for.

.::.

"You guys can come in now."

Five hours had passed since they had entered Orihime's room. The man that had been admitted with her had woken long before, and had recapped the story to them. Ichigo had been outraged by the fact he was responsible for not wearing his seat belt, and causing Orihime's condition to be what it was now. Katsu looked remorseful; self-loathing was evident on his face as he told them of the events that happened.

"I awoke not long after my arrival here. I have injuries, but I got off fairly lucky…I'll recover in a matter of weeks. She however…I'm glad she's stable, but this is all my fault. If I would have just put on my seat belt…she wouldn't have been knocked into the window the way she was…" Katsu grimaced at the memory, guilt plagued in his features.

"Why were you giving her a ride home anyway?" Ichigo asked, staring at the man.

"Well, it was raining out and she didn't grab a coat or anything…my mom – she's the owner of the bakery – had me give her a ride. She didn't have anyone coming to walk her home or a ride so I told my mom sure. A cold would've been better than this."

Ichigo's face contorted in pain. A sad looked dawned on his face and he turned away from the man before him, his eyes gazing off into space.

_She didn't have anyone to walk her home in this nasty storm? I should have been there to keep her safe. If I had at least checked in on her I would have been able to prevent this! I didn't even think..._

Ichigo had gotten up and left Katsu's room, a scowl on his face.

Tatsuki, Uryu, and Chad shared a knowing look with each other.

This was all their fault.

.::.

It had been 12 hours since Inoue had been checked into the hospital, and not one of her friends had left her side. They had all passed out in the chairs or on the floor waiting patiently for her to wake up.

Finally, the morning came and Orihime's eyes opened.

Her friends gathered round, anxious.

Her eyes lids lifted open, and gray orbs filled with confusion stared out at the group of friends hovered around her bed.

"Ugh…ah, where…where am I?"

"Inoue, you're in the hospital. You were in an accident." Ichigo replied, his eyes searching her face. She looked so lost.

"Who…who are all these people, Doctor?" Inoue asked, looking at the orange haired man before her. Ichigo's face twisted in confusion, his eyes scanning her face. What did she mean?

"Inoue…what do you mean?"

"Where's Sora? Why..why isn't he here? …Oh my head hurts so bad…"

The nakama looked at each other, realization dawning on their face. The silence rang in their ears as the girl on the cot looked at each of them, holding her head in pain. Ichigo spoke first.

"Inoue… do ... do you know who I am?"

"Aren't…Aren't you my Doctor? You look like a boy I go to school with, but you're too old to be him…I'm sorry, am I supposed to know you?"

Ichigo's heart stung with pain. She didn't remember him?

"Orihime…do you not know who I am?" Tatsuki asked, her heart skipping a beat.

"You…all look familiar…but…everyone is different…"

"Orihime, I am Tatsuki Arisawa. I go to school with you…I'm your best friend. Don't you remember me?" Tatsuki asked, her eyes filling with tears. The girl on the bed looked lost at her question, panic evident in her eyes.

"Tatsuki? But…you've got to be at least four years older! That can't be true….That doesn't make sense. None of you look my age at all!"

"Get the doctor in here, right now." Ichigo ordered, his voice murderous. He clenched his fist, his eyes never leaving Inoue. Her bruised and scratched face held a look of confusion and fear. She looked like she was desperately trying to piece together what was happening. She was clearly coming up short.

"Where's my brother? Sora-nii!" She cried, tears pouring from her face. "I want my brother! I…I don't understand why he's not here. What happened to me? Where's my brother?"

Tatsuki began to sob at the girl in front of her, her knees buckling beneath her. Uryu caught her before she hit the ground, her head hanging forward as she cried. "This is all my fault! Oh Kami, why?" She murmured, her tears pelting the ground.

Ichigo's temper was rising, as was his reiatsu. He was going to kill the bastard who was driving the truck, and he was going to beat the shit out of Katsu for being negligent. He gritted his teeth and his eyes flashed with anger and pain.

Inoue didn't remember them. Not Tatsuki, not Uryu, and not him. He tried to picture a world to which Orihime was not a part of, and his heart stopped in his chest, his eyes going dark.

How could they be responsible for breaking her heart? For telling her that her brother was dead and that the world was not the one she remembered?

How could he?

How could he tell her she lived alone, that her accident happened because she had no one to take her home that night?

But worst of all, how would he be able to fix the pieces if she no longer had them?

.::.

R&R, Please! :)


End file.
